Kochi: In an effort to resolve the worsening drinking water crisis in the city, the district administration will provide financial support to Kochi corporation for supplying more potable water using tanker trucks. As the corporation has limitations in spending more than Rs. 10 lakh a month for supplying water through tanker trucks, the district administration has to extend financial support, invoking provisions under Disaster Management Act.
“We are getting requests for drinking water from different wards. But we are unable to spend more than Rs. 10 lakh a month for its supply. If we spend beyond the limit, we will have to face objections from our auditors. So, we approached district collector G Priyanka to invoke the provisions under Disaster Management Act to provide additional funds for supplying potable water. She has agreed to give the funds,” mayor V K Minimol said.
The councillors and residents from various places in the city are demanding an additional supply of drinking water despite intermittent summer showers. Several places, including Kadavanthra, Vyttila, Petta, Pachalam, Vaduthala, Palluruthy and Edakochi are facing acute drinking water shortage. The power outages also are affecting the drinking water supply in the city. When there is a power failure, the pumping of water from various pumping stations in the city gets affected.
“Now, we expect that we will be able to provide drinking water to such areas using additional funds we would be getting from the district administration. The issue could be mitigated to a certain extent,” Minimol said.
As per data, there is a demand and supply gap of 30 million litres a day (MLD) to 45 MLD in Kochi city. Though the Kerala Water Authority mooted a proposal to set up a 190 MLD water treatment plant at Aluva, the govt is yet to give final nod for the same. Once the 190 MLD plant is ready, it will help address the city’s drinking water woes.
Source: https://tinyurl.com/72k7es86
